Lecture 4 - Resource theories of attention Flashcards
1
Q
The central executive?
A
- a module that allows the conscious processing of information
- limited capacity
- capacity is required for:
1. reasoning and decision making
2. planning
3. response selection
4. response inhibition
5. monitoring behaviour
6. switching between tasks
2
Q
Single resource theories?
A
- we have 1 pool of cognitive resources that has a limited capacity
- if demands of task exceed this capacity performance suffers
- this pool of resources is known as attention or the central executive
- this resource is only needed when we consciously control behaviour
3
Q
Multiple resource theories?
A
- central executive is not 1 single resource
- similar tasks compete for the same resources but dissimilar tasks do not
- the central executive is composed of sub-modules
- tasks that engage the same module compete with a module for the same resources
4
Q
Testing resource theories - the dual task methodology?
A
- Measure performance on Task A on its own
- Measure performance on Task B on its own
- Task A & B together: If they rely on the same resource, performance should be impaired
5
Q
What are the 3 factors affecting dual task performance?
A
- similarity
- task difficulty
- practice
6
Q
Similarity?
A
- how similar is the input (stimulus modality) e.g. both visual inputs
- how similar is the output (response modality)
- performance is worse when tasks are similar
7
Q
Task difficulty?
A
- harder tasks require more information processing + attention
- may also require extra coordination
8
Q
Practice?
A
- the more a dual task is practiced the better perforce becomes even on tasks that are similar
- Spelke, Hirst & Neisser (1976)
-> taught 2 students to read stories and take dictation
-> initially had poor handwriting and reading speed
-> 6 weeks of training: 5 x 1 hour sessions for 17 sessions
-> reading speed & comprehension increased to normal levels during dictation
9
Q
What happens to a practiced task?
A
- they become automatic = response is made without the need for attention
- it is:
-> fast
-> doesn’t disrupt other tasks
-> unconscious
-> reflexive
10
Q
Controlled vs automatic processes - Shiffrin & Schneider?
A
- controlled processes:
-> require engagement of limited attentional resources
-> are conscious
-> can be used flexibly in changing circumstances - automatic Processes:
-> have no capacity limit
-> do not require attention
-> hard to modify when learned
11
Q
Norman and Shallice?
A
- fully automatic processing controlled by schemas e.g. writing your signature
- contention scheduling
-> chooses between simultaneously active schema
-> biased by goals and desires but does not require attention - deliberate control by Supervisory Attention System (SAS)
-> system for overriding automatically generated behaviours
-> generating novel responses
-> doing anything for the first time
12
Q
Evidence - Reason & Jonsdottir?
A
- action slips in healthy p’s = unintentionally performed actions
- identified 5 main categories of action slips:
1. storage failure: a previous action is forgotten or recalled incorrectly
2. test failure: failure to monitor an action, resulting in an unintended action occurring
3. subroutine failure: correct actions occur in the wrong sequence or omitted
4. discrimination failure: selecting an appropriate object for the task
5. programme assembly failure: inappropriate combinations of actions - typically occur when attention elsewhere
13
Q
How does practice lead to automaticity - Logan 1988?
A
- Each encounter with a stimulus produces a separate memory trace
- Repeated encounters (practice) produces a greater store of information about the stimulus and how to process it
- This increase in knowledge means retrieval of relevant information about the stimulus is fast
- Automaticity occurs when the stimulus directly triggers the retrieval of a past solution from memory
- In other cases the solution must be arrived using conscious strategies or heuristics
